Fulfilling my ckicken dream this spring, advice needed

[sksmass]

Hello everyone, I plan on fulfilling my dream of owning chickens this spring but am in dire need of some advice.

I'd like to raise ~15 Cornish X for meat and ~15 egg layers. I plan to build a "Plamondon-style" 8'x8' (64sf) hoop coop/tractor and move it daily.

Advice from experienced northeastern flock-keepers would be greatly appreciated on these three questions:

1) When is the proper time to take delivery of chicks in Massachusetts? Is there a right time? Could I wait until June to get started?

2) I realize that 30 birds in 64 sf is tight quarters but given that I will be moving it daily and that the 15 Cornish X will be gone in 10 weeks, do you think a Plamondon style hoop coop/tractor, moved daily will be adequate living and foraging quarters for the birds?

3) On weekends, and whenever else I can supervise them I plan to let them free-range around my property. But can you tell me how far they typically wander from their coop? That is, if I put them ~100 feet from my garden, will they find it? I guess the question really is, how far away from my strawberry patch should I put their coop if I don't want them to find the berries while they free-range?

 

[Bullwinkle]

Mine free range over about a 2 acre plot I have fenced in. They wander the whole area (and occassionally one will make its way over the fence. You would need to put them pretty far away from your strawberries (it might be easier to put a fence around your strawberries... ). 100 feet would be WAY too close (mine go 250 - 300 feet daily from their coop and might go further if I didn't have a fence)

I haven't raised them (Cornish X), but I've heard that 'regular' chickens will often pick/peck at Cornish x chickens .... just a thought...

 

[ange]

mine, hens we live on a 1/2 acre lot, aND they free range, most of it, but pretty much stay close to pen coop, the garden is fenced and they cannot get to it

 

[FlashPointFarm]

The tractor is an eggcellent idea. You may find out pretty quickly that you don't want to combine the meaties with the layers. I don't recommend it.

The chickens will find your strawberries and will eat them. I have to cage off my strawberry patch. My chickens still go to great lengths to try to get to them, even sitting on top of the strawberry cage. It makes it a pain to harvest the berries, but at least I still get them!

You may want to order your birds now for delivery when your weather is permitting. The Cornish X birds grow so fast, they don't feather out as well as the layers. So they will need heat for a longer period of time than the layers.

 

[ange]

speaking of meat hens, since i only want egg layers, is the feed store idea abad one

 

[FlashPointFarm]

Quote:
Not at all! I have several egg layers from the local feed store and from Hatcheries. If you are breeding, it would be better to get stock from another breeder. If you ask your feed store, they will even tell you which hatchery their chicks came from.